Current students

When she was 16 years old, Alexa Megan Holder spent a month camping and canoeing in Northern Ontario. She loved it so much that she became a wilderness guide with the YMCA, taking kids between six and 16 years old on river trips. Her recreational love of wild waters grew into an academic interest that guided her towards Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering for a Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS).  

On September 28th, St. Jerome's University launched its annual lecture series titled, Lectures in Catholic Experience, with a timely talk with Archbishop Bolen, who addressed the Vatican's response to the Doctrine of Discovery. Archbishop Bolen was instrumental in organizing Pope Francis’ visit to Canada in July of 2022, and he continues to work meaningfully with Indigenous communities to build the path towards reconciliation.  

Banking with a virtual reality headset may not be as far-fetched as you might think after students from the University of Waterloo’s startup incubator Velocity wrapped up a two-week-long “hackathon”, an innovation challenge aimed at augmenting the future of finance with VR and high-speed wireless technology.

For more than 50 years, the University of Waterloo has hosted an insightful and thought-provoking public lecture series: The Hagey Lectures. This premier event has featured a wide range of celebrated scholars, artists and change makers.  

If you don’t recognize his name, you’ll probably recognize some of the movies Chris Williams played a key role in creating. From voicing Oaken in Frozen to writing for Mulan to directing Big Hero 6, Chris has acquired a long list of film credits since studying Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo. Most recently, he wrote, directed and produced The Sea Beast for Netflix, which was nominated for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars.

As technologies, like artificial intelligence, continue to advance innovation in the workforce, University of Waterloo co-op students are playing a crucial role in digital transformation.  

In 2022, the Employer Impact Award recipients utilized student talent to help feed the world, digitize the insurance landscape, and gain international perspectives.  

On Saturday, September 23, thousands of people from cities across Canada, came together to walk and bike in support of some of the most vulnerable people in our community during the annual Ride for Refuge event — a family-friendly, in-person fundraising ride/walk in support of charities that help people seeking hope, safety and freedom. 

In April this year, the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering Outreach team launched a free community outreach program called Travelling STEM. Over the summer, the pilot program visited Indigenous communities across Ontario to share exciting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) possibilities with youth from kindergarten to grade 11 in their home communities.  

In a world experiencing rapid technological advancement and frenzied shifts in the economic landscape, it’s imperative that creatives, innovators and industry leaders come together and address the pressing issues Canada and our world faces.